I hope you’re having a beautiful day. ♡
Here’s another light-filled ¤ Gem ¤
Photo “Under the Sky” by Niki Flow. Poem “Effort Equals Change” by Johnny O
______________
Gems 3.64
Reply
Tag Archives: Niki Flow
Gems 3.63
I hope you’re having a beautiful day. ♡
Here’s another light-filled ¤ Gem ¤
Poem “Boy Oh Boy” by Johnny O. Photo “Some Kinda Blue Love Supreme” by Niki Flow
______________
Gems 3.60
I hope you’re having a beautiful day. ♡
Here’s another light-filled ¤ Gem ¤
Photo “LBI Jetty” by Niki Flow
I found this quote today while looking for a quote that combined vision (to go along with the photo ^_^) and “silence.” What a gift that search became! It not only led me to this beautiful excerpt from “Seven Sacred Pauses” (which is now on my “want to read” list) but it led me to Macrina’s website. This is how she describes herself in her about section which is so lovely I included the entire thing on today’s Gem on under1000skies:
About Macrina Wiederkehr
Windows are openings to life, providing scenic views for inspiration. If you come to my window I hope you will find the blessing of a scenic view that inspires you. Perhaps it will be a supportive message from my blog, a poem, a quote or a prayer. It could be the discovery of a good book to read, or a movie to view—perhaps an invitation to attend one of my retreats.
When someone asks where I’m from and who I am, this is how I like to introduce myself: I come from the meadows, vineyards and forests of Altus, Arkansas. The country is a cherished memory of what I call first home. My childhood companions were animals, birds, insects, trees, plants, wild flowers and angels. I come from a family that was not without flaws. By today’s standards we may even qualify as a bit dysfunctional yet in spite of our defects I have always felt a unique and beautiful bond with my family.
My second home is with my Benedictine community of sisters, St. Scholastica Monastery in Fort Smith, Arkansas. We follow the rule of St. Benedict with the gospel as our guide.
from About Macrina on MacrinaWeiderkehr.com
Journey Notes and News
Monday June 19 to Saturday June 24, we’ll be offline (medical stuff). We’ll return on Monday June 26th. The theme for this last week in June is “silence,” “listening,” “stillness,” and “sacred space.” If you have a favorite quote about any or all of those, please let us know. Also, we don’t currently have a theme for July. If you have any ideas, please let us know.
Your Creativity
As always, we would love to feature your creative visions! If you would like to contribute photos, art work, short poems/stories, quotes, time, etc., please see our “About Us” page for details. When we show each other what we find beautiful, we get a glimpse into each others’ hearts.
May you find joy every day of your journey through life,
☼ A “Giftivism” Initiative ☼
We are photographers,
writers, artists & advocates
serving and connecting
homeless creatives.
Gems 3.59
I hope you’re having a beautiful day. ♡
Here’s another light-filled ¤ Gem ¤
Photo “Age of Silence” by Niki Flow
About Rumi
Jalāl ad-Dīn Muhammad Rūmī (Persian: جلالالدین محمد رومی) (30 September 1207 – 17 December 1273) was a 13th-century Persian Sunni Muslim poet, jurist, Islamic scholar, theologian, and Sufi mystic. Rumi’s influence transcends national borders and ethnic divisions. His poems have been widely translated into many of the world’s languages and transposed into various formats. Rumi has been described as the “most popular poet”and the “best selling poet” in the United States.
Rumi’s works are written mostly in Persian, but occasionally he also used Turkish, Arabic, and Greek in his verse. His Masnavi (Mathnawi), composed in Konya, Turkey, is considered one of the greatest poems of the Persian language. His works are widely read today in their original language across Greater Iran and the Persian-speaking world. Translations of his works are very popular, most notably in Turkey, Azerbaijan, the United States, and South Asia.
His poetry has influenced Persian literature, but also Turkish, Ottoman Turkish, Azerbaijani, as well as the literature of some other Turkic, Iranian, and Indo-Aryan languages including Chagatai, Urdu, Pashto, and Bengali.
from “Rumi – Wikipedia”
Journey Notes
Our upcoming Spotlight Saturday will be really special. I had the chance to speak to Dr. Bell of Sheltering Grace in Georgia and can’t wait to tell you about that interview. It just filled me with joy.
News
Monday June 19 to Saturday June 24, we’ll be offline (medical stuff). We’ll return on Monday June 26th. The theme for this last week in June is “silence,” “listening,” “stillness,” and “sacred space.” If you have a favorite quote about any or all of those, please let us know. Also, we don’t currently have a theme for July. If you have any ideas, please let us know.
Radical Self-Expression ☼ Radical Acceptance
This is the first and probably last self-portrait I’ve ever done for under1000skies but this is a subject close to my heart. It’s ridiculously terrifying to post this all over the place which is why I knew I had to do it.
From today on, I’m practicing something my friend told me about recently, a Burning Man way of life that encompasses everyone and everything. It’s simple, wise and really beautiful:
* Radical Self-Expression
* Radical Acceptance
He wrote,
“Embracing those two principles starts with [‘Radical Self-Expression’] — being introspective to figure out how to be yourself. What do I want to do? To be? How can I express that? And then you try stuff on. And some of it fails miserably. And some of it is awesome. But all of it can be fun. You always learn something… “Meanwhile, ‘Radical Acceptance’ requires you to suspend judgement of others–to give them room to express themselves. It’s pretty hard to do that and to attempt ‘Radical Self-Expression’ without learning how to give yourself that same room…”
I love simple wisdom because it is the kind that sinks into your bones and extends across ages, cultures, all borders. Like Rumi’s poetry.
Your Creativity
As always, we would love to feature your creative visions! If you would like to contribute photos, art work, short poems/stories, quotes, time, etc., please see our “About Us” page for details. When we show each other what we find beautiful, we get a glimpse into each others’ hearts.
May you find joy every day of your journey through life,
☼ A “Giftivism” Initiative ☼
We are photographers,
writers, artists & advocates
serving and connecting
homeless creatives.
Gems 3.54
I hope you’re having a beautiful day. ♡
Here’s another light-filled ¤ Gem ¤
Photo by PicMonkey
Journey Notes
The theme for June will be “silence,” “listening,” “stillness,” and “sacred space.” If you have a favorite quote about any or all of those, please let us know!
Your Creativity
As always, we would love to feature your creative visions. If you would like to contribute photos, art work, short poems/stories, quotes, time, etc., please see our “About Us” page for details. When we show each other what we find beautiful, we get a glimpse into each others’ hearts.
May you find joy every day of your journey through life,
☼ A “Giftivism” Initiative ☼ We are photographers,
writers, artists & advocates
serving and connecting
homeless creatives.
Gems 3.51
I hope you’re having a beautiful Friday. ♡
Here’s another light-filled ¤ Gem ¤
Drawing “Silent Treatment” by Niki Flow
Journey Notes
The theme for June will be “silence,” “listening,” “stillness,” and “sacred space.” If you have a favorite quote about any or all of those, please let us know! Meanwhile, stay-tuned for something new starting tomorrow: “Spotlight Saturday,” featuring an inspiring story from the homeless community — connected at the heart, around the world, by people who “love hard and give a f–k.”
Your Creativity
As always, we would love to feature your creative visions. If you would like to contribute photos, art work, short poems/stories, quotes, time, etc., please see our “About Us” page for details. When we show each other what we find beautiful, we get a glimpse into each others’ hearts. ♥.
May you find joy every day of your journey through life,
☼ A “Giftivism” Initiative ☼ We are photographers,
writers, artists & advocates
serving and connecting
homeless creatives.
Gems 3.48
I hope you’re having a beautiful day. ♡
Here’s another light-filled ¤ Gem ¤
Photo “Diana’s Flowers” by Niki Flow
Journey Notes
The theme for the month of May is “fear” and “love.” The theme for June will be “silence,” “listening,” “stillness,” and “sacred space.” If you have a favorite quote about any or all of those,, please let us know!
Your Creativity
As always, we would love to feature your creative visions. When we show each other what we find beautiful, we get a glimpse into each others’ hearts. ♥.
May you find joy every day of your journey through life.
♡. under1000skies
☼ A “Giftivism” Initiative ☼
We are photographers,
writers, artists & advocates
serving and connecting
homeless creatives.
This Week under1000skies – 26May17
I hope you’re having a beautiful day. ♡
Here’s what’s happening under1000skies 
Art by Niki Flow – Instagram #the100dayproject
50 percent of the profits from “12 Tales” and 100 percent of the profits from the Elanthian Love Songs – A Bard’s Tale go to the purchase and shipping of artist packs for homeless creatives.
🌻Coming soon to Amazon.com, “12 Tales.” Twelve short stories with one central hub, “Sadie’s Diner” from “”Thin Threads.”
♡. under1000skies
☼ A “Giftivism” Initiative ☼
We are photographers,
writers, artists & advocates
serving and connecting
homeless creatives.
Gems 3.44
I hope you’re having a beautiful day. ♡
Here’s another light-filled ¤ Gem ¤
Photo “Blue Sunny Day” by Niki Flow
♡. under1000skies
☼ A “Giftivism” Initiative ☼
We are photographers,
writers, artists & advocates
serving and connecting
homeless creatives.
This Week under1000skies
Happy Friday. I hope you’re having a beautiful day. ♡
Here’s what’s happening ☼ under1000skies ☼
“Gear Shift” is one of the 30 plus stories that didn’t make the cut for 12 Tales (coming soon!). It still belongs here, under1000skies. Dedicated to Father Murphy* with love and thanks.
*Not his real name.
“Gear Shift” by Niki Flow
“George?”
“Father, I lost my paycheck. Margery is gonna murder me.”
“Can you blame her?”
“Father, I’m sorry! I want to quit. I really do.”
“Do you mean that, George?”
“Father Murphy I mean it like I ain’t never meant nothing before.”
“I see. Well, in that case, hold still.”
“Father?”
“Just count backwards from 100, slowly.”
“Is this my penance?”
“Certainly. Let’s think of it like that. Count backwards from 100 and picture yourself letting go of your gambling addiction. Go on. Begin.”
“Uh…okay. Let’s see…100. 99. 98. 97…”
“Good. Close your eyes George and keep counting.”
“Uh…97…96…95…94…”
“Good. Just keep counting.”
“Father what’s that noise?”
“George, if you don’t keep counting I’m going to make you count backwards from 1,000.”
‘Yes Father. Er…I forget…”
“You are on Number 94.”
“Right. 93. 92….whaaaAAAAH!”
TWO WEEKS LATER
“Bless me Father for I have sinned.”
“Good evening. Is that George?”
“Yes Father it’s me.”
“What would you like to tell me tonight?”
“I took the Lord’s name in vain. I had impure thoughts for only a few seconds about the lady at the supermarket. I uh…that’s it.”
“Are you sure? No gambling?”
“No gambling. I ain’t interested. It’s kinda like a miracle.”
“That’s good George.”
“Ever since two weeks ago when I passed out during confession…”
“Fell asleep, yes.”
“Whatever. Yeah, since then. Nothing. I ain’t interested no more Father.”
“That’s marvelous George. For your penance say two Hail Mary’s and two Our Father’s.”
“Thanks. I mean, I will. Father guess what else?”
“Yes?”
“My buddy fell asleep here last month. He uh…stopped seeing that woman over in Queens. Just …like that.”
“That’s marvelous George.”
“Father, something else. I heard about another friend of his, who comes to this church only he goes to Saturday night mass. So I don’t know him because we …me and the wife…we go to mass on Sundays. Well, we go now, anyways. Margery always did, but I didn’t use to…”
“Yes George, I remember. And?”
“Well that guy, he was a raging alcoholic. And HE fell asleep in here about six seven months ago and Father Murphy, you’ll never guess…”
“What’s that?”
“He’s been sober ever since. It’s like…this — right here — this confessional booth, it creates miracles, but you have to fall asleep. Or something. Maybe it’s you Father.”
“Or maybe we’re in a Miracle Machine I invented in my spare time and disguised it to look like a confessional.”
“Haha! Oh yeah or that! Good one Father!
“I’m glad you’re amused George. Anything else tonight?”
“Naw that’s it. Uh…right. My contrition:
“O my God, I am very sorry for offending you. I hate all my sins not only because you had to get punished but because you don’t like sins but you love me anyways. I firmly resolve with your help to quit sinning.”
“God, the Father of mercies, through the death and resurrection of his Son has reconciled the world to himself and sent the Holy Spirit among us for the forgiveness of sins; through the ministry of the Church, may God give you pardon and peace, and I absolve you from your sins in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.”
“Amen. Thanks Father.”
“Don’t mention it George.”
The End.
♡. under1000skies
=) A “Gifivism” Initiative (=
We are photographers,
writers, artists & advocates
serving and connecting
homeless creatives.
